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TabletPc posts

Archos 9 up for pre-order in America for $50 more than anticipated

by Darren Murph posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 1:33PM

Uh, Archos? You do remember telling us that your Archos 9 media tablet would ship on October 22nd for $499 back in late September, right? 'Cause if our eyes are being truthful to us, that's not at all what's happening here. The outfit's official web store has the 8.9-inch device listed (complete with Windows 7 Starter, WiFi, Bluetooth and a 1.3 megapixel camera) for $549.99, and worse still, it's only up for "pre-order." You know what happens after the second strike, right guys?

[Thanks, Trini]

Qooq recipe and cooking tablet launched for French speakers only

by Laura June posted Oct 29th 2009 at 10:28AM

Cooking tablets and recipe readers have been pretty limited (and not very good) in the past -- but this one looks extremely promising. Called the Qooq, the 10.2-incher boasts -- in addition to a bunch of recipes, of course -- complete meal prep videos, instructions and advice on choosing ingredients, shopping lists, meal planners -- all which can be updated monthly via a subscription service. Specwise, we're looking at a glass touchscreen, Ethernet and USB ports, an SD slot, WiFi, and a built-in stand. The custom UI looks pretty attractive, but there are some drawbacks. The Qooq does not have a browser (though it's got built-in weather, digital photo viewing, and internet radio apps), and it's only available for French language speakers for now. If you do speak the language of love, you can get one of these puppies for €349 (about $513), with the subscription service running an additional €12.95a month (about $19).

[Via Red Ferret]

Switched On: Microsoft's touchy subjects

by Ross Rubin posted Oct 14th 2009 at 5:00PM

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

As CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates would often talk about his dream of "information at your fingertips." The company he co-founded, though, is now taking literal steps toward that goal. By the end of the month, Microsoft will have released three new devices or platforms that embrace or extend touchscreen support -- but the impact touch will have on each varies significantly by their legacy, usage, and manufacturers.

Windows has long had touchscreen support. Such support, in fact, was the basis of the Tablet Edition of Windows XP, and Tablet PCs were proclaimed to be the future of notebooks. Early iterations were larger and thicker keyboard-lacking slates much like the new Archos 9pctablet. But this was before rampant Web browsing, streaming video, casual games and electronic books -- all of which now provide relevance for a new generation of touchscreen PCs as content-consumption devices.

Continue reading Switched On: Microsoft's touchy subjects

Purported Motorola roadmap uncovers Sholes Tablet, Motus and other mythical mysteries

by Darren Murph posted Oct 14th 2009 at 11:48AM

Okay folks, this is the moment where hauling a spoonful of NaCl down the chute would be highly recommended. DialAPhone seems to have unearthed what looks like a Q4 2009 - Q1 2010 Motorola roadmap, and while the finds are certainly intriguing, we're still hesitant to believe this thing is legit. For starters, this is obviously a European plan, so what we're viewing here may never make the tedious journey across the pond anyway. Secondly, how many of you honestly believe Moto's cooking up a Sholes Tablet? Exactly. That said, we'd be the first to drool should that device (or the Motus and / or Zeppelin) launch early next year, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we'll be scraping the floor for details when CES kicks off in just a few months.

[Thanks, dejan]

Dell Mini 9 modded into an internet tablet

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 14th 2009 at 8:11AM

MyDellMini forum member Rob928, take a bow. This honorable gentleman has only gone and transformed an aging 9-inch netbook into a new-fashioned internet tablet. it might still be a chubby little thing, but there's no denying the usefulness of using the entire screen to navigate instead of the usually cramped netbook touchpad. With a 16GB SSD upgrade alongside the venerable Atom N270 and 1GB of RAM, this device will even boot faster into Windows than your run-of-the-mill netbook. The read link will reveal all, including more shots of the hardware laid bare.

[Via SlashGear]

Gallery: Dell Mini 9 modded into an internet tablet

Motion brings durable Gorilla Glass to C5 and F5 tablets, tries to break it

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 8th 2009 at 11:55AM

It's been a minute since we've heard from the gang at Motion Computing, but as always they've used the time wisely, quietly working to improve their beloved C5 and F5 slate PCs. If recent upgrades to Verizon EV-DO, WiFi n, 64GB SSDs and the like weren't enough to get you psyched for your next trip to the ER, the company is proud to announce that you can now order your tablet with some of that hardcore Gorilla Glass you've read so much about. Just how durable is the display, you ask? How would you like a video to demonstrate it? What if we told you that some vaguely U2-esque stock music provided the soundtrack? Go ahead, you know you want to -- it's after the break.

Continue reading Motion brings durable Gorilla Glass to C5 and F5 tablets, tries to break it

Acer's Aspire Timeline 1810T gets the tablet treatment, morphs into 1820P

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 7th 2009 at 7:04AM

Like Acer's Aspire 11.6-inch, 1.4GHz ULV Timeline 1810T (aka the 1410) but wish that T stood for Tablet? It's your lucky day, sailor, as Acer has created the 1820P. No, we don't know what the P stands for, but this new model shares the internals of the 1810T/1410, adding a pivoting (maybe that's it) screen and room for a stylus in there somewhere. Reports are that everything else is the same, other than what we presume will be a price bump, and what we know is a 300g weight increase. You've been hitting the gym; you can handle it.

Apple 'Tablet PC' manufactured by Foxconn, shipping in Q1?

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 7th 2009 at 5:43AM

It's been what, five whole days since we've heard any fresh rumors on the Apple Tablet. That ends today with DigiTimes claiming that Foxconn (aka, Hon Hai Precision) not Quanta has secured manufacturing rights to Apple's "tablet PC." Its sources claim that the device will focus on "e-book functionality" and hit the market in Q1 with initial shipments set in the 300,000 to 400,000 range -- a modest, but healthy number when you consider that Apple sells about 2.6 million Macs per quarter. DigiTimes claims it will have a 10.6-inch panel (not 10.7- or 9.6-inch) and that the panels could be sourced from Innolux Display, not WinTek. If nothing else, at least the Taiwan-based rumor monger has quit calling the device a netbook as all these rumors coalesce around a Q1 launch.

[Thanks, Chan N.]

Gateway's Windows 7-boasting EC18T tablet images, specs leak onto the screen

by Laura June posted Oct 5th 2009 at 1:17PM

Hey, what's this attractive looking dude? Well, from the looks of it, it's Gateway's not-yet-announced or previously spied tablet PC. A tipster with access to a seemingly infinite number of photos of this bad boy also shot over a spec sheet of the purported EC18T, and here's what we're looking at. This 11.6-incher is going to boast an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, a Mobile Intel GS45 Express graphics chipset, and it'll run either Windows 7 Home Premium or Basic. Of course, none of this is official information, and we have no info on pricing or availability yet. Hit the gallery for a plethora (seriously) of photos.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Gallery: Gateway EC18T photos

Alpha 680 Android netbook spotted, still unavailable

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 6:59PM

While all the other kids on the block are letting themselves become duly distracted by Google Chrome OS, at least Skytone is still out there in the trenches, fighting to get its Android-powered Alpha 680 netbook to market. Initially it looked like this one would be making the scene sometime this summer, and although this has not come to pass, the OEM (Airis) is still strutting it in front of vendors and threatening us with an eventual release. According to Le Journal du Geek, who managed to get its hands on one and snap plenty of pics, the device is still "not really stable." (Take your time, guys...) Hit that read link for plenty of glamor shots of the this stark white, 7-inch resistive touchscreen wonder -- you'll be glad you did.

Apple tablet rumors redux: 10.7-inch display, iPhone OS underneath

by Darren Murph posted Sep 29th 2009 at 8:26AM

At this point, it's difficult to say exactly what we believe. Just a fortnight ago, we heard that the so-called Apple tablet would ship with a 9.6-inch display and a P.A. Semi processor, and now iLounge is hearing from "trusted sources" that something other than that is true. The latest round of maybe-sorta-probably-not-true whispers is that the current prototype of the device boasts a 10.7-inch display and a resolution near 720p. Of course, we've no idea where Apple would source a capacitive touchscreen of that size, but we wouldn't put anything past El Jobso. Moving on, we're told that iPhone OS will be used, signifying that this will be more of an advanced media player / light communication device than a full-on netbook competitor. Finally, we're told that a 3G and non-3G version will be offered, and if Mr. Boss signs off on it, it could be announced as early as January with a June / July ship date. Oh, and it'll come pre-loaded with Unicorn-approved applications and a vial of fairy dust -- huzzah!

TabletKiosk rises from the ashes, pops Atom CPUs into hideous new UMPC / tablet line

by Darren Murph posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 11:13PM

Sheesh -- whatever happened to TabletKiosk, anyway? Aside from one random slate PC tailored for the medical industry, we haven't seen anything meaningful from these guys since 2008. And yes, that includes the present day. Oh sure, the company's newest trifecta of machines -- which includes the 7-inch eo a7330D, 7-inch eo TufTab a7230XD and 12.1-inch Sahara NetSlate a230T -- may use the incredibly mighty Atom CPU now, but that doesn't change the fact that they're all uglier than sin itself. In fairness, all three are designed more for the enterprise market than for fashion conscious consumers, but still, we're struggling to see any design improvements here compared to the wares this outfit was pushing way back in 2007. If you truly believe that beauty's on the inside, hit the read link for all the dirt.

[Via HotHardware]

NorhTec shows off sub-$300, AA-powered Info Pad tablet

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 7:02AM

Upstart NorhTec has already manged to pull off a pretty impressive feat by actually getting its $200 Gecko EduBook out the door, but it looks like it's now setting its sights a bit higher, and has taken to the intertubes once again to show off its now-in-development Info Pad tablet PC. As you might expect, this one is more or less just a tablet version of the EduBook, right down to the same 1GHz Xcore86 processor and rechargeable AA NiMH batteries for a power supply. Of course, it does also get a new 8.9-inch resistive touchscreen to make up for that whole lack of a keyboard part, which will apparently only bump the price up to $295.95 (making it the least expensive x86-based tablet, according to the company). Head on past the break for the video overview, and look for the tablet itself to be available in November or December.

[Thanks, Jesse]

Continue reading NorhTec shows off sub-$300, AA-powered Info Pad tablet

Microsoft's dual-screen Courier booklet emerges, isn't near production

by Darren Murph posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 7:47PM

We know, we know -- you're probably still waiting for the Apple tablet that'll never come, but how's about a prototype alternative from said outfit's arch enemy to tide you over? Gizmodo has just let slip details surrounding what was previously a top secret project deep within the lairs of Redmond, but given that this is more of an advanced proof of concept than anything else, we're doing our best to curb our inner enthusiasm about a near-term release. We're told that the folding device could eventually ship with dual 7-inch displays, both of which support multitouch gestures and can also be controlled via a stylus. It should too boast a camera and possibly an inductive charging pad on the rear, though we can't help but be a wee bit frightened by hearing that the user interface is "complex." Essentially, the Courier is a touch-friendly, two-screen tablet that can't let go of the tried-and-true pen input method, and your guess is as good as ours when it comes to purpose. Though, something tells us ASUS might just have the answer. Video's after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft's dual-screen Courier booklet emerges, isn't near production

Switched On: A tale of two tablets

by Ross Rubin posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 7:01PM

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

It was the best of ideas. It was the worst of ideas. It was the age of innovation. It was the age of stagnation. It was the epoch of developing a bold new computing platform. It was the epoch of churning out another piece of converged electronics nobody needs.

Rumors have been swirling that PC operating system heavyweights Apple and Microsoft are developing forays into the world of tablet computing. Such devices will face strong competition from netbooks featuring low prices and a large library of applications remains to be seen. Two new entrants to the hardware world, the CrunchPad and Always Innovating's Touch Book, have already begun panning for gold with their Linux-based tablets. However, the waters are now attracting larger rivals designing tablets powered by Microsoft operating systems, albeit different ones.

Entering one of the few new categories at IFA earlier this month, Toshiba announced the JournE Touch, a 7" touch-enabled tablet running Windows CE designed for addressing the usual range of converged device chores, including accessing social networks and content playback, but there are a few tricks up its slender sleeve.

Continue reading Switched On: A tale of two tablets